Well clearly, we believe that Disney is better together, but every day tons of people go to the parks by themselves.
It might be a little strange at first, but its a great way to experience…. whatever you want. I mean, there’s no one to tell you no or where to go.
In this guide, we’ll give you a few pointers for traveling solo, but in the end, it’s seriously whatever you alone want to make it.
Single Rider Lines
The #1 perk for going solo is to take advantage of the single rider lines.
Officially, there’s only 3 rides with a single rider queue. Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, Test Track at EPCOT, and Rock’N Roller Coaster at Hollywood Studios.
The single rider queue for these is typically 5-15 minutes. The regular queue can be an hour or more for these. So, if you’re single riding, consider these a free fast pass. You can also just keep hopping back in the short line, it’s great.
You may have noticed, the single rider lines are all for “Roller Coaster” type thrill rides (Test Track isn’t really a roller coaster). The single rider line becomes a real blessing for groups where one person wants to ride, but everyone else either cannot, or will not ride.
Take advantage of this if you’re alone or in a group to save half an hour of waiting time or more.
Solo EPCOT Example
If you are able to ride solo, test track is the perfect ride to Single Rider.
At EPCOT, Frozen Ever After, Soarin’, Test Track, and a few other things are considered Tier 1 fast passes. This means you can only get one in your initial 3 preplanned passes for the day.
Since Test Track offers the single rider line, and the wait can be significantly reduced, it increases the value of Frozen and Soarin’ passes.
If you want to make the most of your time at EPCOT and ride as many of the Tier 1 attractions as possible, and are okay with “Single Riding” Test Track –
Make fastpass plans for Spaceship Earth when the park opens, Mission Space for an hour after the park opens, and frozen 2 hours after the park opens.
When you arrive at the park: Immediately head to Soarin’. Once that’s over, Use a fast pass for Spaceship Earth and then Mission Space. Single Ride test track, and head to Frozen and use your fast pass there.
Once you’ve ridden Frozen, look for more passes if there’s something else you’d like to do. Tier 1 passes will open up again, so you can ride Soarin’ again, if you’d like. Alternatively just enjoy the world showcase.
This plan will still work in a group if not everyone wants to ride Test Track.
Downside to Single Rider Lines
The test track ride itself isn’t really thrilling to me. The best part is trying to build the stupidest possible car in the 3 minute queue, and seeing how badly it does during the ride.
If you single ride, you bypass this portion of the line. In fact, for all the single rider lines, you miss a lot of the queue details and anything interactive that might exist.
Part of the charm of Expedition Everest is the incredible details throughout the queue. The outside is littered with statues and fountains, and the inside is basically a museum full of things from Mt. Everest. It’s really cool to see.
Table for One
For some reason, eating by yourself can seem to be a little weird. If you’re like me and feel awkward about it, don’t go to a sit down restaurant, try the snacks and Quick Service Restaurants. If you’re feeling self conscious, don’t. There’s a lot of people at Disney and a lot split up to ride rides or eat. Nobody but you will know you’re there by yourself.
The biggest perk for eating at Disney by yourself is, the cost. It’s no secret that it’s expensive. I’ve seen families spend nearly $100 just to get some hamburgers and sodas.
When you’re by yourself, you’ll only need one meal and the cost is a lot easier to swallow.
The issue you may come across is that: A lot of things at the parks are meant for sharing. The cost is high, and so is the portion size. If you’re a big eater, that’s great news…. but if not, try and scout out someone already eating what you’re thinking about and consider it for yourself.
We love the fried rice+egg rolls from the Yak and Yeti to go area. This would be a great treat to have AFTER you’ve done 12 trips through the Expedition Everest single rider line. Our tip for this is to head to the fountain area in the back and listen to the water, birds, monkeys, and tourists!
Some advice
Don’t be self conscious. Everyone is enjoying their vacation and you should too. Nobody is going to notice, or care if you’re alone. Nobody will judge you or anything. Just do whatever makes you happy.